Approximately 50 civilian casualties arrived at the Connaught hospital in Freetown on the afternoon of April 8, 2000. This surge of wounded followed the shooting which erupted during the "demonstration for peace" organized on Monday in front of the house of Fodé Sankho, Vice President of Sierra Leone and ex-chief of the rebellion.

Of the 40 people, some cared for by the team of Medecins Sans Frontieres who are present at the hospital, two died as of their arrival, 34 were wounded by bullets and four suffered from wounds by crushing. On the 34  wounded by bullets, 10 were injured in the back when they tried to flee. The MSF surgical team operated on 11 people who were seriously injured.

In addition, the hospital mortuary held the bodies of seven civilians this incident occurred in spite of the presence of the soldiers of the force of Minusil, the United Nations mission in Sierra Leone.

It is the first result of the climate of panic created by the armed groups in Freetown. MSF asks that the involved factions acts urgently to save the civilians and to respect the work of the aid organizations. Whereas almost all international organizations evacuated the capital Sierra Leone, MSF maintains a surgical team in Freetown in order to come to the assistance of casualties. Its missions of Kenema and Moyamba, inside the country, have been suspended.